West Chester, PA (June 12, 2025) – Sixteen Chester County organizations working to prevent homelessness, promote affordable housing, support emergency shelters, and help people achieve financial self-sufficiency were awarded nearly $3.25 million in total state funding to support their efforts, state Senator Carolyn Comitta announced today.
“Every family deserves a safe and healthy place to call home. From expanding emergency shelters to providing no-cost home repairs to enhancing affordable housing opportunities for seniors and coaching first-time homeowners on financial literacy, these investments benefit our entire community,” Comitta said. “I want to thank the organizations and professionals across Chester County who are working to address housing insecurity and help people stay in their homes.”
The funding was approved by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) through the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) program.
“PHARE is one of the most effective tools we have to expand access to safe, affordable housing in every corner of the Commonwealth,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “That’s why we’ve nearly doubled our investment in this program — because it works. Local communities know what they need, and PHARE gives them the resources to meet those needs, tackle the housing crisis, and help more Pennsylvanians stay in their homes. My budget proposal this year builds on that success by raising the PHARE cap to $110 million by 2028 – so we can build more homes, repair more aging properties, and deliver real results for the people of Pennsylvania.”
“I’m impressed each year with how well local organizations target PHARE dollars to address communities’ housing needs,” said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann. “We stress to applicants that their requests must demonstrate how PHARE money will be leveraged with other funding sources to make the largest housing impact possible, and that approach has significantly expanded PHARE’s financial investment again this year.”
The grants, which supported 22 projects in the 19th Senatorial District, are as follows:
- $75,000 for Open Hearth’s Targeted Homelessness Resource Coordination Program (THRC). The THRC program is a community-wide effort to end homelessness in Chester County led by a program coordinator. The coordinator works with shelters, partner agencies, and county representatives to create and maintain a list of those experiencing homelessness and work with all housing providers to prioritize them for permanent housing.
- $75,000 for Open Hearth’s Continuum of Care Permanent Supportive Housing (CoC) Program, which provides rental and utility assistance as well as critical supportive services to approximately 75 households each year. The program prioritizes serving households facing significant challenges, including those already experiencing homelessness, heads of households who have disabilities, and those with criminal convictions or no income.
- $65,000 for Kennett Area Community Service Homeless Prevention, Diversion, Emergency Housing, and Re-Housing services for families and individuals experiencing housing crisis in the Southern Chester County region.
- $250,000 for the Chester County Department of Community Development to expand its Diversionary Enhancement and Street Outreach Operations to provide flexibility, enhance integration with other systems, and improve positive outcomes. The initiative aims to reduce first-time homelessness and increase permanent housing placements and retention.
- $150,000 for Brandywine Valley Active Aging to maintain its Community Resource Navigator/Intensive Case Management program, which supports individuals who are homeless, at-risk for homelessness (housing insecure), or disaster survivors. The program aims to maintain and grow its case management department to prevent and address the increased incidence of older adults (60 and older) experiencing homelessness in Chester County.
- $300,000 for the Housing Partnership of Chester County’s (HPCC) Conservatorship Program. The funds will be used for HPCC to acquire and rehabilitate three properties before making them available for purchase to successful graduates of its First Time Home Buyer program.
- $400,000 for the Housing Partnership of Chester County’s Senior Home Maintenance Program, which provides no-cost grants to address the pressing housing maintenance and safety issues faced by low-income seniors. It allows participating seniors to safely remain in their homes.
- $50,000 for the Housing Partnership of Chester County’s First Time Home Buyer and Financial Counseling Program aims, which provides free fiscal education to members of the community interested in improving their own financial foundation. Counseling is provided by a HUD-certified housing counselor (English or Spanish) and available to low- and moderate-income Chester County residents. Group financial education classes are offered throughout the county at various locations. Individual counseling and support are also available to income-qualified clients.
- $50,000 for North Star of Chester County to prevent homelessness and promote self-sufficiency for working single-parent families. The program provides ongoing rental assistance, paid directly to landlords, to help families maintain housing, as well as funding for children’s programs, gas and grocery gift cards, and access to an office pantry. In addition, case managers offer budget counseling and financial mentorship to guide parents toward financial independence.
- $100,000 for Chester County Human Services to support the Human Needs Network, which aims to support housing and behavioral health information and referral services in Chester County. The funding will support an Information and Referral (I&R) Program Director, an I&R Manager, an I&R Data Manager, I&R Navigators, and I&R Mobile Navigators to maintain accurate housing and behavioral health information and referral system.
- $100,000 for Family Promise of Southern Chester County to provide short-term emergency support, medium-term shelter, and long-term case management for low-income families with children who are at risk of homelessness.
- $250,000 for the Friends Association for the Care and Protection of Children for its Eviction Prevention Case Resolution (EPCR) Program. The program provides legal representation, tenant education, landlord negotiation, limited rental assistance, and short-term case management services to low-income households whose landlords have filed eviction requests in Coatesville, Downingtown, and West Chester District Court 15-2-03. The program anticipates expanding to Exton Court 15-4-03 in January 2025.
- $150,000 for the W.C. Atkinson Memorial Community Service Center to prevent homelessness through individualized intensive case management. The center takes a “housing-first” approach that includes providing shelter and a pathway to independence and stability.
- $25,000 for ACT in Faith of Greater West Chester for Homelessness Prevention Services. ACT in Faith provides services to the un- and under-employed to address issues that hinder self-sustainability and household stability, including support for Housing Stabilization rent, utilities, security deposits, and fuel) and Employment Support programs (transportation costs).
- $80,000 for Home of the Sparrow to help Chester County women reenter the community from the criminal justice system by providing intensive case management services and rapid access to subleased apartments that offer a safe living environment on a sliding scale. The organization also offers wrap-around services to help women find jobs, become financially literate, address health and addiction issues, and reunite with children.
- $90,000 for Home of the Sparrow to provide financial aid and case management to help prevent homelessness, keep women and children out of the costly, overburdened shelter system, and avoid the traumatic experience of homelessness and its long-term, devastating consequences.
- $150,000 for Safe Harbor of Chester County’s Pathways to Stability Initiative. The program provides temporary shelter, meals, case management, housing placement, structured day programming, and post-exit support for individuals experiencing homelessness. The funding will help Safe Harbor expand services, address rapid re-housing and trauma-informed care, and support vulnerable populations across Chester County.
- $350,000 for Safe Harbor to construct a second building above the existing parking lot to meet the growing demand for shelter and support services. The two-story facility will feature day programming spaces and administrative offices, connected to the main building by an enclosed walkway. This expansion will increase capacity by 20 units, improve operations, and provide essential resources for individuals experiencing homelessness in Chester County.
- $250,000 for the Housing Authority of Chester County’s (HACC) Recruitment, Recovery, and Retention Program, which provides clients with security deposit assistance and rental assistance. HACC also offers additional support through its Landlord Risk Reduction Program, which promotes landlord recruitment and retention by covering damages and unexpected vacancies.
- $150,000 for the Housing Authority of Chester County to renovate 10 vacant units at Oxford Terrace, a low-income property for seniors and disabled individuals in Oxford. This program will target homelessness and scarcity specifically for vulnerable groups, such as seniors and individuals with disabilities. Renovating affordable housing aims to enhance diversity and accessibility, fostering a more inclusive community.
- $100,000 for the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center to provide case management for participants, information and referral services, and assistance with essential needs such as rent payments, utilities, transportation, and healthcare and prescription costs. Frequently, the short-term assistance offered by this program can prevent homelessness, forestall the loss of heat or electricity, and ensure that participants can continue to work and remain self-sufficient.
- $50,000 for Good Neighbors Home Repair to provide no-cost home repairs for 10 families, including fixing leaky roofs, broken furnaces, and unsafe steps, as well as installing wheelchair ramps and making other critical repairs. Good Neighbors has been repairing homes for low-income homeowners at no cost for over 30 years. In 2023, the program served 58 families in Chester and Lancaster counties combined.
Funding for the Chester County projects comes as part of $73 million in total PHARE funding for fiscal year 2024-25 awarded to 387 housing and community development initiatives statewide.
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